A Slow Approach to New Year's Resolutions
moving forward with intention
You can listen to an audio version of this newsletter above. Please note that this is unedited and there may be some natural stumbles, as I’m recording in my home office. There’s currently a rainstorm outside, so you may hear some cars driving through the puddles.
When I designed my Slow Productivity chart two years ago, I focused on eight practices that aligned with my approach to more sustainable, well-being-oriented productivity. It’s no surprise that “Scheduling Time for Reflection” was one of the pieces of the Slow Productivity pie.
Popular productivity culture favors progression: achieving, earning, producing, consuming—doing more and doing it as quickly as possible. When we pause to reflect—to look back on actual experiences and remember how we felt about them—we can make more informed decisions about the future we want to create for ourselves and our community.
As the clock ticks down to the start of 2024, you might resolve to set new goals for your personal or professional life. Planning can feel invigorating and inspiring—but it can also bring up apprehension and result in feeling stuck or confused.
For example, we might accidentally overcommit ourselves to unrealistic deadlines or say yes to requests that don’t align with our values, interests, or capacity (you can learn more about decision-making in this free video lesson).
Or, we might set a big goal to write a book or run a marathon or change a career, but feel murky about what we need to actually do in order to achieve that goal.
When we pause to reflect on our capacity, purpose, and patterns of behavior, we can find more clarity for our planning process. And with clarity and direction for our goals, it’s easier to determine our priorities, manage our time, and make forward progress with momentum and intention.
What do you hope for yourself in the new year? How do you want to feel when you open your laptop and dive into your projects? What do you want to slow down and make space for?
Here are some resources that can help you make your 2024 daydreams into your reality:
Watch the recording of my Reflection and Planning Workshop from last week.
Book a 60-minute Productivity and Strategy Coaching Call if you are seeking guidance and support on a current obstacle.
Consider Success & Accountability Coaching, where we’ll meet every other week for six months to help you achieve your complex goals and longer-term plans.
I’ll be back next week with some fun updates. In the meantime, I’m sending you all my best wishes as we move through the Solstice and prepare for the close of 2023.
Take care and talk soon,
Dr. Kate
